Two by two rib knit fabric



F. BARTON TWO BY TWO RIB KNIT FABRIC 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Rani/Se!1 912 BY lad M4 KW July 31, 1962 Filed July 22, 1959 July 31, 1962 lllThe present invention relates to a selvaged two by two rib knittedfabric having a run-proof edge and which can be produced on aconventional circular knitting machine having two banks of needles, thatis, dial needles and cylinder needles, without requiring racking of thedial needles relative to the cylinder needles.

Heretofore, it has been the usual practice to provide United StatesPatent a run-proof edge for a two by two rib knitted fabric produced ona circular knitting machine by racking the dial needles relative to thecylinder needles which causes the locking of the loops along the edge ofthe rib knitted fabric. This racking of the dial needles, which arereturned to their original positions after the formation of the firstfew courses at the start of knitting selvages on rib knitted fabrics, isthe cause of substantial difiiculties encountered in both the design andoperation of multiple feed circular knitting machines. Morespecifically, racking of the dial needles results in the slowing down ofproduction, the necessity for accurate and intricate adjustment of themachine, and the unnecessary waste of material during production.

In view of the foregoing, circular knitting machines have been recentlydesigned in which one bank of needles is not shifted, and the run-proofedge is formed through the use of the full number of needles at thefront and a 2:1 division of the needles at the back, while theindividual loops formed at the front are overhung to produce two by tworibs. in another proposed design, as disclosed in British Patent No.773,546, both the dial and cylinder needles operate with a 2:1 ratio,and a simple single row of locking loops in knitted with one needle ofeach of the successive pairs of needles in the cylinder and dial banksof needles. Either a one by two rib row or, if required, so-calledsingle face rows, are attached to the locking loops for completing theedge. In the first case, that is, where the edge is knitted with all ofthe cylinder needles and with a 2:1 ratio for the dial needles, aspecial apparatus is required to cause overhanging of the individualfront loops formed by the cylinder needles and further the selvage isincreased in width due to the loosening of the loops in the run-proofedge. In the second case, that is, in the machine as disclosed inBritish Patent No. 773,546, an exceedingly loose selvage is formed byreason of the excessively loose binding of the run-proof edge and of thefollowing row.

In accordance with the present invention, a run-proof edge is providedfor a two by two ribknitted selvage which corresponds to a conventionalrun-proof edge for a fiat knitted fabric, and which is shifted withoutracking of the bed or dial needles, and therefore without the previouslymentioned difliculties resulting from the racking. The run-proof edge,contrary to that in previously formed selvages, consists of two coursesthe loops of which are formed either alternately, that is, by the firstneedles of the front andrear pairs of needles, or crosswise, that is, bythe first needle of the front pair of needles and by the second needleof the rear pair of needles. The loops of these two courses areinterlaced or wound around each other, that is, disposed alternately atthe top and at the bottom of the knitted fabric with the result that, ineach course, one or two closed loops are formed to provide the basis fora run-proof edge.

The above, and other objects, features and advantages of the invention,will be apparent in the following detailed description of a fabricembodying the same and of the method of producing such fabric, whichdescription is to be read in connection with the accompanying drawingforming a part hereof, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic View illustrating a run-proof edge formed oftwo courses having the loops thereof formed alternately and beinginterlaced or wound around each other at one side of each loop;

FIG. 2 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a run-proof edge formed oftwo courses having the loops formed alternately and being interlaced orwound around each other at both sides of the loops;

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a run-proof edge formed oftwo courses with the loops thereof formed cross-wise and beinginterlaced or wound around each other at both sides of the loops;

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating a run-proof edge formed oftwo courses with the loops thereof formed cross-wise and beinginterlaced at only one side of the loops; and

FIG. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing two pieces of knitted fabric andthe run-proof edge provided on the two by two rib knitted selvage of oneof the pieces as in FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawing in detail, and initially to FIG. 1 thereof, itwill be seen that the run-proof edge embodying the present invention, asthere illustrated, is formed from two threads m and n. The needles ofone bank are indicated at a, b, c and d and are arranged in pairs withsinkers s between the successive pairs of needles, while the needles ofthe other bank are indicated at A, B, C, D, E and F and are alsoarranged in pairs with sinkers S between the successive pairs ofneedles. The thread m is laid on needles A, a, b, C, c and d, while theother thread n is laid on needles B, b, D and d. The threads in and nare knitted in by casting the thread m off the needles b and d onto theloops of the thread 11, so that the two threads m and n are interlacedolr wound around each other at each of the points V, that is, at oneside of each of the loops, and eyes or loops 0 are formed of the threadn.

It will be apparent that, in FIG. 1, the loops of the thread m areformed by the first needles of each pair of needles, that is, by theneedles A, a, C, c and E, while the loops of the thread n are formed bythe second needle of each pair of needles, that is, by the needles B, b,D, d and F. Thus, in FIG. 1, the loops of the two threads or courses areformed alternately and are interlaced or wound around each other duringeach transfer of the threads from the needles of one bank to the needlesof the other bank.

The run-proof edge illustrated in FIG. 2 is also produced from twothreads m and n which are alternately laid on the needles of the twobanks of needles, but with the two threads being interlaced or woundaround each other twice during each transfer of the threads between theneedles of the two banks. Thus, in FIG. 2, the thread m is laid on allof the needles A, B, a, b, C, D, c, d and E, while the thread It is laidonly on the needles B, b, D, d and -F. The threads m and n are knittedin by casting off or pressing the thread m from the needles B, b, D andd so that the threads m and n are interlaced or wound around each otherat the points V, that is, at the opposite sides of each loop, and eyesor loops 0 are formed at both sides of each loop of the thread m, forexample, by the thread n on needles B and b and on needles D and d.

The run-proof edge illustrated in FIG. 3 is produced by laying thethread m on the needles A, a, b, C, c, d and E, 'while the thread n islaid only on the needles B, a, D, c and F, with the thread m being castor pressed off the needles a and 0 onto the thread n, so that thethreads m and n are interlaced or wound around each 3 7 other at eachpoint V, that is, once during each transfer of'the threads between theneedles of one bank and the needles of the other bank, with eyes orloops being formed in the thread n at the engagement of the latter withthe.

needles a and c. It will be seen that the thread m is engaged by thefirst needle in each pair of needles of one bank and with the secondneedle of each pair of needles in the other bank, while the arrangementof the thread 11 with respect to the paired needles of both banks is thereverse of that indicated with respect to the thread m so that thethreads m and n have the loops thereof formed cross-wise in theembodiment of FIG. 3.

The run-proof edge illustrated in FIG. 4 is also produced from twothreads m and n having the loops thereof formed crosswise, but with boththreads being interlaced or wound around each other twice during eachtransfer of the threads between the two banks of needles. Morespecifically, the thread m is placed on all needles A, B, a, b, C, D, c,d, E and F, while the thread 11 is laid only on the needles B, a, D, c,and F, and the threads are interlaced by casting or pressing off thethread m from the needles B, a, D, c and F, with the result that thethreads in and n are interlaced or wound around each other at theopposite sides of each of the loops formed from the thread m, with loopsor eyes being formed in the thread n, for example, at the engagement ofthe thread nwith the needles B, a, D and c. 7

The edge embodying the present invention, as in any one of FIGS. 1 to 4,inclusive, has the desired runresisting qualities because both of thethreads m and n from which the edge is formed are interlaced or woundaround each other, and the fact that both threads are bent or loopedimparts a considerable degree of elasticity to the run-proof edge. Themanufacture of the above described run-proof edge on a knitting machinehaving a full number or array of needles, for example, on an eight camknitting machine, merely requires that such machine be capable of thealternate ranging of three types of needles.

The separation of two successively produced pieces of knitted fabricprovided with a run-proof edge of the kind illustrated in FIG. 1 can beeffected, by way of example, in the manner illustrated in FIG. 5. Morespeciifically, after a piece of knitted fabric is finished with thecourse K, courses 1 and 2 of plain single face closing loops are knittedat the back, that is, on the dial needles. Then two courses 3 and 4 ofrib stitches are knitted and the loops from the needles s at the back,that is, dial needles, are cast off. Courses 5 and 6 of closingsingle-face stitches are then knitted at the front, that is, on thecylinder needles, and, after knitting two separating courses 7 and 8 ofrib stitches, all loops or stitches are cast off the cylinder needles.The front loops or stitches in the courses 7 and 8 are undone, therebyleaving the completed piece of knitted fabric suspended by the pulledout loops of the course 8 which remain engaged by the related dialneedles.

Al After casting off the loops of the course 8, which loops are to beundone, a cam of the knitting machine causes knitting from the thread mof the course Z which is provided with simple loops by the needles A andC of the bank of cylinder needles and with double loops by the needlesa, b, c and d of the bank of dial needles. A further cam of the knittingmachine then causes knitting from the thread n of the course Z which isprovided with simple loops at the needles B and D of the cylinderneedles and at the needles I) and d of the dial needles. Casting off ofthe thread m from the dial needles b and d, that is, casting off ofone-half of each thedouble loops provided in the thread m forming courseZ onto the loops provided in the thread n at the needles b and :2provides the required interlacing or winding around each other of thethreads m and 12 forming the two courses Z and Z of the run-proof edge.After knitting of the runproof edge constituted by the courses Z and Ztwo courses 9 and 10 of single-face stitches are knitted on the front orcylinder needles, and a single course 11 of single-face stitches isknitted on the back or dial needles, whereupon the courses 12 of ribstitches forming the two by two rib knitted selvage are produced.

It is to be understood that the separating courses and the knitting inof the two courses forming the run-proof.

edge can also be effected, if required, at the other side of theknitting machine from that illustrated in FIG. 5.

Although illustrative embodiments of this invention have been describedin detail herein with reference to A two by two rib knitted fabric ofuniform yarn adapted to be produced .on a circular knitting machinewithout racking of the dial needles relative to the cylinder needles;said fabric having a selvage including threads forming first and secondcourses of loops at the beginning thereof, said first and second courseshaving loops thereof alternatingly disposed at the front and back,respec tively, of the fabric with said threads forming the first andsecond courses being wound around each other at least between the firstand second rows of loops at the op-. posite faces, respectively, of thefabric to provide a runproof edge for the selvage.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS,

2,696,095 Zieve Dec. 7, 1954 2,847,838 Minton Aug. 19, 1958 2,854,832Morris Oct. 7, 1958

